Customer Reviews

Victoria Victorious: The Story of Queen Victoria

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is the third volume in Jean Plaidy's well-written "Queens of England" series of books. In it, the author details the life and reign of Queen Victoria, from her rise as a young, sheltered princess to a Queen who would give her name to an era. For over sixty years, Victoria ruled over England, longer than any monarch before her or since.

As in all the books in the "Queens of England" series, it is written in a first person narrative, creating an intimacy of style that makes the book all the more compelling and immensely readable. Replete with fascinating period detail, political machinations, public personages, and historical events that were a part of Queen Victoria's life, the author builds a sympathetic, three dimensional portrait of a woman and queen.

The author recounts the early years of Victoria and her ascension to the throne, firmly rooting the house of Hanover in English history. She takes the reader through the Queen's marriage to Prince Albert from their early innocent, halcyon days to the later, more troubled ones that would give fruit to a mature and abiding love that would span a lifetime. The book recounts the births of their numerous children, and the joys and sorrows that they would bring Victoria. The premature death of her husband at the age of forty, however, would mark Victoria for the remainder of her long life.

The often fractious relationships Victoria would have with some of her Prime Ministers is recounted, as are the one ones that were more harmonious. Familial relationships, scandals, and intrigues would also have their impact, not just on Victoria's immediate family, but on the monarchy and the world, as well. Such is the lot of a royal family, and Victoria's was no different. World events and their effect on the British Empire also pepper this book, and at the center of it all was the indomitable Queen Victoria, a monarch for the ages.

This is a wonderful book that those with a penchant for historical fiction will, no doubt, enjoy. Ms. Plaidy is a master storyteller, seamlessly weaving a tapestry of events and personalities that make this book one to be savored.

An unfortunate thing about this book is its alliterative but undescriptive title. It suggests that Victoria triumphs over adversity in some way, and at least as far as this book goes, she doesn't. She's not victorious or defeated; she simply lives a long, full life.

Plaidy succeeds in making Victoria a complex character. She's quite often stubborn, selfish, and insular, yet the reader rather likes her at the same time for her tenacity and for her spirit. These qualities are most apparent in the first half of the novel, where Victoria has to deal with her interfering mother and her beloved but priggish husband.

The focus of this novel is on Victoria's relationships with others, not the events of the day, and this insularity--heightened by the first person narration--was to me the great defect in this novel. Though major events--the Chartist movement, the Crimean War, and so forth--are mentioned, there's little sense of how they came about or what Victoria thought of them. We hear from Victoria which prime ministers she likes and doesn't like, and we're told which party they represent, but there's little real sense of the politics of the day. There's also very little sense of the enormous changes that were taking place; no one seems to have invited Victoria to the Industrial Revolution. When toward the end of the novel, someone mentions a telegraph, I was frankly surprised, for up to then there'd been no indication whatsoever of such technology. Indeed, I don't think there's even mention of the railways here.

All in all, this is a pleasant read if you're interested in Victoria's domestic life, but those who are looking for something deeper will likely be disappointed.

Plaidy certainly does her job with this book, and does not disappoint: this is indeed the dramatic and engrossing historical novel which the cover seems to promise. Personally, I found myself reading hundreds of pages at a time, and ended up reading most of the book in just three (extremely long) sittings.

However, and this in no way detracts from the quality of the book, I found myself dwelling over the portrayal of Queen Victoria more than once. As a child, she becomes indignant and stubborn after rising above her overbearing mother to become queen, and seems disinclined to submit to anyone. However, after her marriage to her husband, her manner seems to change completely- she eventually succumbs to his every whim to please him, and accepts fault for their arguments because she was not properly "tamed" in childhood. For me, at least, these changes came about all too quickly, and seemed unnatural. Certainly some calmness can be attributed to growing up, but it was as if Victoria traveled from one end of the spectrum to another. However, Victoria's demonstrative nature (and fickleness with her affections) remains with her throughout the book, and was one of the things that I most enjoyed about her character- especially when people whom she judged harshly and mocked without knowing became her closest advisers.

This was the first of Plaidy's books that I have read, and overall, I loved it. I would have given it five stars, but I am a harsh judge and reserve that for my VERY favorites. I also admired how Plaidy was able to encorporate history into the novel- and yet, as a great amount of information is included in the last section of the book, in Victoria's old age when some of the other characters are no longer close to her or living, the book does change somewhat surprisingly- that is, going from a book focused entirely on Victoria's personal life to including political events and affairs of the reigning families. However, Plaidy's portrayal of an aging queen is extremely believable, and it makes sense for her areas of focus to change as she is a mother of nine and grandmother of many, no longer a self-centered adolescent.

This book gives incredible insight into the world of Victoria's England and the politics that reside therein. It's saturated with history yet so engrossing you barely notice. I strongly recommend this book.

I think we all know about the Victorian Era from high school. The time when hats were large, men were men, women wore corsets and the Industrial Revolution was in full swing.

But not many know of the queen who gave her name to this important time in history. This novel gives you a personal look into her life.

From even before her birth Victoria was very important. The death of her cousin, Princess Charlotte, necessitated that she be born. And from the moment she appeared her mother did everything she deemed necessary to prepare Victoria for the all important task of being Queen of, not just England, but of Great Britain. No easy feat.

But Victoria's early life wasn't as easy as being a princess sounds. Her mother was unpopular and sought to steal the limelight whenever she could, and almost always did something to displease the reigning King. She also annoyed Victoria with her attitude and almost made her completely distrust her.

But on June 20, 1837, at the age of 18, Victoria became Queen, and the first thing she did was to demand that she could be alone. After all the years of being with her mother, or her beloved Baroness Lehzen, she was by herself, and Queen.

Her aim was to be good. She wanted to make sure that her people were ruled well; not just according to her whim, which could change with her moods. She had many good advisors to help her, some of which she liked, and loved, and others she tolerated because she had to.

Of course she married her Prince Albert and it was a true love match. Producing 9 children, much to her chagrin, proved that. But his death left a large hole in her heart that shows through the rest of the novel. You would think that would detract from it, but it doesn't. In truth she was devasted and Plaidy lets you know that without jamming it into your head.

I will say that the novel doesn't describe too much the politics behind many of the events that happened during the Era. In fact there were just too many to name, and they were so complicated it would have made this long book(with good reason, a 64 year reign can't have a short book) longer(but then would have made it boring.)

If you're looking for something more political on her life this isn't for you. If you're looking for a more inimate look at the great queen then this one is for you. Plaidy makes her real. She makes her lovable, understandable, human.

This is the third volume in Jean Plaidy's well-written "Queens of England" series of books. In it, the author details the life and reign of Queen Victoria, from her rise as a young, sheltered princess to a Queen who would give her name to an era. For over sixty years, Victoria ruled over England, longer than any monarch before her or since.

As with all the books in the "Queens of England" series, it is written in a first person narrative, creating an intimacy of style that makes the book all the more compelling and immensely readable. Replete with fascinating period detail, political machinations, public personages, and historical events that were a part of Queen Victoria's life, the author builds a sympathetic, three dimensional portrait of a woman and queen.

The author recounts the early years of Victoria and her ascension to the throne, firmly rooting the house of Hanover in English history. She takes the reader through the Queen's marriage to Prince Albert from their early innocent, halcyon days to the later, more troubled ones that would give fruit to a mature and abiding love that would span a lifetime. The book recounts the births of their numerous children, and the joys and sorrows that they would bring Victoria. The premature death of her husband at the age of forty, however, would mark Victoria for the remainder of her long life.

The often fractious relationships Victoria would have with some of her Prime Ministers is recounted, as are the one ones that were more harmonious. Familial relationships, scandals, and intrigues would also have their impact, not just on Victoria's immediate family, but on the monarchy and the world, as well. Such is the lot of a royal family, and Victoria's was no different. World events and their effect on the British Empire also pepper this book, and at the center of it all was the indomitable Queen Victoria, a monarch for the ages.

This is a wonderful book that those with a penchant for historical fiction will, no doubt, enjoy. Ms. Plaidy is a master storyteller, seamlessly weaving a tapestry of events and personalities that make this book one to be savored.

First of all, need I comment on the twee title? Once you've read the book you'll realize there was nothing particularly "victorious" about Queen Victoria other than her tenure of 60+ years on the throne (despite assassination attempts, the diseases of the 19th century, etc.).

The book is well written and interesting in the "peek into the mind of a historical figure" type of genre. However, other than family matters such as childbirths, marriages and interpersonal relationships, there is really not a lot of history in the book. Events that were no doubt important at the time are glossed over in this book in favor of Victoria's paeans of praise for "dear Albert" (who comes across as a stuffy, interfering man with an inferiority complex - well, OK, of course he feels this way - they wouldn't let him be named King). We read much of the various temperaments of the Queen's children, their spouses, their children and grandchildren, and a lot about her Prime Ministers, with a sort of sidebar effect for the historical events.

Where this book really grates, however, is in the "oh-so-innocent" attitude of Victoria. (See my review of Plaidy's "The Lady in the Tower" for a similar complaint about her Anne Boleyn.) We know that there were scandals during Victoria's reign in which she was rumored to be having illicit relations with (a) Lord Melbourne, her first Prime Minister, (b) Benjamin Disraeli, a later Prime Minister, and (c) John Brown, a Scottish household servant. These were no doubt very important scandals at the time, but Plaidy's Queen simply writes about how wonderful and effective these men were. Perhaps this is the truth - but to make no mention of the rumors seems a bit blinkered. (Imagine reading a bio of Bill Clinton and finding no mention of Monica Lewinsky. Same thing.)

It also seems that Plaidy became a rabid feminist later in her life. I've now read sixteen of her historical books starting with the Norman Trilogy and the first 7 of the Plantagenet Saga, then skipped ahead to the roughly-Henry-VIII era books because they're in reprints and easier to find. The earlier books are more clumsily written, but the men and women are all depicted as real people with real personalities. Once you get to the Henry VIII era books, however, almost all the men are portrayed as overbearing, buffoons, or dictatorial; all the women are shown as sweet, innocent, thoughtful, and caring. Too one-sided.

I'll give Plaidy another chance when her book on Charles II comes out in the fall, but if he's portrayed as another ogre (when so many other sources portray him as the Merry Monarch who ruled through a fairly prosperous time for England), she's off my list.

I have read two books by Jean Plaidy, including this one and I find her dialog and general writing style for simpletons or for kids. It was very frustrating and highly disapointing.

Jean Plaidy, as part of the Queens of England series, takes on telling the tale of one of the longest reigning English monarchs, Queen Victoria, in this historical novel.

Raised by an overbearing mother, Young Victoria was rarely allowed time by herself or the opportunity to develop her own interests. When she becomes Queen at 18, she is taken under the guidance of Lord Melbourne and does not become very involved in the politics of her own country. It is not until Victoria marries Prince Albert that she begins to grow into a woman capable of making her own decisions and taking a hand in the ruling of England. The novel follows Victoria through the birth of her children and the great tragedies of her life as well, including the loss of her Prince. Always, she has an advisor to turn to and I don't have the impression that she ever understood the workings of England very well and instead allowed herself to be swayed to the opinions of her advisors constantly.

This was not the most exciting of Plaidy's novels for me. It was very long and I found parts dull. I think that I felt this way due to the subject matter. While Queen Victoria lived a fairly eventful life and had very strong feelings for her family, there was just not the level of excitement that one finds when reading about Henry VIII or Queen Elizabeth. This was still an informative and mostly entertaining look into the life of Queen Victoria however, and is recommended for those who enjoy reading about Royals.

This is the third volume in Jean Plaidy's well-written "Queens of England" series of books. In it, the author details the life and reign of Queen Victoria, from her rise as a young, sheltered princess to a Queen who would give her name to an era. For over sixty years, Victoria ruled over England, longer than any monarch before her or since.

As in all the books in the "Queens of England" series, it is written in a first person narrative, creating an intimacy of style that makes the book all the more compelling and immensely readable. Replete with fascinating period detail, political machinations, public personages, and historical events that were a part of Queen Victoria's life, the author builds a sympathetic, three dimensional portrait of a woman and queen.

The author recounts the early years of Victoria and her ascension to the throne, firmly rooting the house of Hanover in English history. She takes the reader through the Queen's marriage to Prince Albert from their early innocent, halcyon days to the later, more troubled ones that would give fruit to a mature and abiding love that would span a lifetime. The book recounts the births of their numerous children, and the joys and sorrows that they would bring Victoria. The premature death of her husband at the age of forty, however, would mark Victoria for the remainder of her long life.

The often fractious relationships Victoria would have with some of her Prime Ministers is recounted, as are the one ones that were more harmonious. Familial relationships, scandals, and intrigues would also have their impact, not just on Victoria's immediate family, but on the monarchy and the world, as well. Such is the lot of a royal family, and Victoria's was no different. World events and their effect on the British Empire also pepper this book, and at the center of it all was the indomitable Queen Victoria, a monarch for the ages.

This is a wonderful book that those with a penchant for historical fiction will, no doubt, enjoy. Ms. Plaidy is a master storyteller, seamlessly weaving a tapestry of events and personalities that make this book one to be savored.